The Two Chairs: Suzanne Nguyen uses art to discuss racism

STUMBLING across a piece of furniture labelled ‘European Labour Only’ led Suzanne Nguyen to uncover a darker side of Australian history. It inspired her to make two chairs of her own, one white, the other yellow, to spark a conversation about race and racism. She shares her story.

As a story collector and artist, I gather stories and convert them into art. Right now I am building a collection of stories that focus on the subject of race and racism in Australia. One of my latest projects The Two Chairs, grew out of the dark legacy left behind by the White Australian Policy.

During the 1950’s, a lot of the furniture manufactured in Australia would be stamped with a label saying ‘European Labour Only’. This stamp was used to distinguish European-Australian manufacturers from their Chinese counterparts.

I was inspired to make two chairs of my own, one white, the other yellow. Although equal in all dimensions and sizes they symbolise one true fact – colour. The aim of ‘The Two Chairs’ is to openly invite people to a conversation about race and racism of all forms, so that we can learn to live together.

Racism is deeply rooted in ignorance, and I believe that it originates from a fear of the unknown. It is only through deep and meaningful conversations that we are able to bypass racial differences and misunderstandings.

I have since become something of a surrogate psychologist, sitting down with my friends over a coffee as they share their stories and thoughts on the subject. After the ‘sessions’, I’m told they come out feeling relieved and enlightened by the experience. Other times, I have received letters, emails and recorded messages from people sharing their experiences and viewpoints.

Racism is deeply rooted in ignorance, and I believe that it originates from a fear of the unknown. It is only through deep and meaningful conversations that we are able to bypass racial differences and misunderstandings.

The two chairs are expected to be placed into various settings, from being an artistic statement piece to being a part of various installations. As part of the Big West Festival, an upcoming Western Suburbs arts festival based in Footscray, Victoria, ‘The Two Chairs’ will be set in a cafe allowing two individuals to sit down and exchange thoughts and personal experiences. There is no right or wrong answer; what is important is that they leave with a seed of positive thoughts for change.

Social media has shown that people are willing to speak out about racism. You only have to look at how videos of an angry, racist rant on public transport can virally impact the landscape of social networks.

What I am wary about is that instead of addressing the issue at its core, people’s first response is to add to the vicious derogatory cycle and fuel the negativity. A better response would be questioning as a society how we have allowed these incidents to happen. If you saw an event like this unfold, what would you do?

The aim of ‘The Two Chairs’ is to act as an open forum to engage and unite the public by sending a strong message about racism. To add to the discussion, an online creative platform will be created soon, where the public can learn about the issue and add to the conversation. ‘The Two Chairs’ invites you to be part of the solution.

There is one comment

Racism is ugly. It divides individuals into “us” and “them”, based on where we have a come from or the color of our skin. And it happens once individuals feel that it’s okay to treat others badly as they’re going concerning their daily lives.Racism is rarely okay. however it still happens in Australia. Every day. Racism happens in variant alternative ways. You hear it once people: build “jokes” or negative comments a couple of specific grouping, decision others racist names or verbally abuse them, bully, trouble or intimidate others thanks to their race. You see it once people: write racist graffiti publicly places , build offensive comments on-line, square measure excluded from teams as a result of they’re “different” or “don’t belong”, square measure physically abused thanks to their race.